Experience Covenant

Prof. Ken Stewart Co-Edits Book on Evangelicalism

Dr. Ken Stewart, professor of
theological studies at Covenant College, co-edited and contributed to the book The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring
Historical Continuities, published by B&H Academic and available October
15, 2008.

The book is a collection of essays responding to Dr. David Bebbington's 1989
book Evangelicalism in Modern Britain,
which argues that transatlantic evangelical Protestantism originated in the
eighteenth century.

"I know and respect Dr. Bebbington," says Stewart. "But
I found this argument very problematic.... If
evangelical Protestantism did not, in fact, have a long and honorable
pedigree, it could be written off as just a phase of Christianity which had
already seen better days."

Stewart read a conference paper in 2001 on the
subject, and many expressed support for his view that evangelical Christianity
has roots "at least as old as the Protestant Reformation." The discussion grew from there, and
Stewart and his fellow editor Michael Haykin eventually compiled this
collection of essays by eighteen different contributors. In Stewart's words, the book explores the "evidence that the powerful upsurge in evangelical Protestantism
in the period we call the ‘Great Awakening' (1730 and beyond) stood in very
strong continuity with Reformation Christianity, Puritanism and Pietism, which
had characterized the preceding two hundred years."

"It is always good," he says, "to help students see
that the stream of Christianity in which we stand, at Covenant College, is part of a much larger and wider whole."

Stewart sees The
Advent of Evangelicalism as a resource for Christian leaders and college
and seminary students, and notes that the material is applicable to courses he
teaches, such as "The History and Expansion of
Christianity."

The Advent of Evangelicalism is available for purchase from Amazon and from the publisher.

The mission of Covenant College is to explore and express the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things. We offer the world biblically grounded men and women equipped to live out extraordinary callings in ordinary places.